A MOTORIST was given a parking fine – despite correctly displaying her blue badge and paying for parking.

Ann Holmes was volunteering at Holy Trinity Church in Holmfirth and had parked her car at the nearby Crown Bottom car park.

Her voluntary works lasts four hours so she set her disabled parking blue badge for the two hours allowed and bought a parking ticket to cover the remaining two hours she needs.

But the council says a purchased parking ticket overrides blue badges – so they fined her.

Mrs Holmes, of Netherton, is now highlighting the issue among other drivers with a disabled blue badge.

She said: “When I first got my blue badge I spoke to a traffic warden to explain that I was going to a concert in Huddersfield and would need longer than the two hours. He told me to buy a ticket to cover the rest of the time I need.

“So I had a parking ticket for an hour and set the clock on my blue badge to cover the time the parking ticket didn’t.

“Someone else told me I could do that too.”

But it was only last month when she realised she’d been given the wrong advice.

“I was working at the church and I drove into Holmfirth and put a ticket on from 11.02 and then set my blue badge for 13.02 for the rest of the time but I got booked,” she added.

“I have paid the fine because I don’t want it hanging over me, but I think it needs highlighting.”

She volunteers at the Senior Moments group at Holy Trinity Church in Holmfirth. She carries out the voluntary work once a month and is part of a team which provides entertainment and lunch for pensioners.

She added: “Someone else can leave their car there all day and not have to worry about going back and putting another ticket on, yet the people who struggle to get about can’t use their blue badges if they need to be out for more than two hours.”

A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council explained: “It is assumed that when a pay and display ticket has been purchased, the blue disabled badge holder is not present with the vehicle, and the badge is not in use.